China’s largest internet platforms received a pointed message last week. Stop the destructive price competition. Start pouring money into artificial intelligence and cloud systems. The directive came not from a regulatory agency but from a draft commentary slated for the Communist Party’s flagship theoretical journal Qiushi. Its timing and tone suggest Beijing has grown weary of the margin-eroding battles that have defined e-commerce and delivery sectors for years. The piece, set to run on June 2, strikes a balance. It endorses continued growth for companies such as Alibaba, Meituan and PDD Holdings. Yet it demands tighter controls over algorithms, data practices and consumer safeguards. “The healthy development of the sector depends on a sound governance system and effective regulatory measures,” the commentary states, according to The Next Web . It adds that irregularities in the platform economy stem partly from frameworks that have not fully adapted. Short. Direct. And loaded with implication.…